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TOTD // 12/05 // Slackk

Published: May 12, 2017, words by Elle Clark

London has an electronic music scene that has consistently held its place as one of the most forward thinking in the world. Since the original explosion of house, disco and techno in the US, the UK went on to forge its own signature sound. The surge of pirate radio brought UK bass and garage to London’s club scene, and the capital’s young producers started experimenting and combining electronic sounds with music from all over the world. Today, London is still regarded as one of the most forward thinking city’s for electronic music, and it’s all because of the producers like Paul Lynch.

Producing under his Slackk alias, Paul Lynch has been creating productions that explore the many strands of electronic music’s heritage. Slackk first attracted attention after the release of his EP Theme on heavyweight imprint Numbers, where he flew into recognition within the dance music community by merging nuances of authentic Chicago house with the grit of UK bass. The releases that followed saw him create a patchwork of musical influences that placed him in high regard with tastemakers from all over the country, and ever since he’s seen a steady slew of releases on labels like Forefront Recordings, Local Action and R&S Records. His productions on Local Action and Unknown To The Unknown borrowed elements from the signature stamps of grime and UK bass, but had an unusually laid-back melodic flow. Driving up influences from early jazz records and far-eastern soundscapes, Slackk’s productions just can’t be pinned down.

His latest project is his A Little Light LP, due out today on R&S Records. Equally rich in culture and diverse as the last, the album sneaks between 90bpm R’n’B structures, early 2000s grime, UK Funky and straightforward house, just refusing to be pigeonholed. Although Slackk combines references and stories from musical history around the globe, his signature sound remains as apparent as ever. We’ve been lucky enough to take a glimpse into this selector’s record collection for our Tracks Of The Day series. Here are four of Slackk’s picks of 80s music for the motor. Enjoy.

Klockwize

Cruzamatic

“Not entirely sure what this is about as there is a lot of overdubbing in the chorus but I think basically he wants to take his missus for a drive then give her a quick one two in the back. Delightful song, great synth work and there’s some Yamaha DX-100 solo at two minutes or so that’s just unbelievable. Not a fan of the snare but you can’t have it all.”

Wally Badarou

Hi Life

“Well futuristic African shit from 1984. I heard this for the first time on NTS a few years ago before we started doing the Boxed show on Rinse. It was a nice summer afternoon, all the Dalston crackheads were having a nice time of it, I think I had a spliff on the go. Anyway I asked for the ID and thought I’d stumbled onto a goldmine of music like this but it’s Wally’s only foray into this sort of style really. He’s cool and all but Wally mate, you were onto a winner here, should have kept it up. Amazing synth.”

Patrice Rushen

Feels So Real (Won't Let Go)

“The track has a top 5 YouTube comment for me – ‘damn this is one of the songs to ride too on a hot summer’s day when you leave the carwash’. The bloke who left it is called Phil Dick, which has to count for something. Amazing lilt to this song, really lazy. Patrice just daydreaming her way through the vocal. Delightful.”

The Shortwave Mystery

Scuby-Ruby

“Genuine lost classic this, I think. Incredible synth work, lovely little bell lines, and then 30 seconds in you get some amazing bassline that wouldn’t be out of place in a UK Funky belter. Bit strange that this comes from an unreleased 80s demo tape, and nothing really happened with it. Better than most music that comes out today, I think; well inventive.”